The Mathematician

Jacob E. Goodman held a PhD in mathematics and was a mathematical researcher during his years as a professor. An award-winning author, he was presented the Lester R. Ford Award for expository writing by the Mathematical Association of America in 1990. Jacob also wrote poetry, and his classical music compositions have been performed in concert, many by the New York Composers Circle. This was his first novel.

Co-editor of the three editions of the Handbook of Discrete and Computational Geometry, first published in 1997, Jacob was also the co-founder and, for twenty-five years, co-editor-in-chief of Discrete & Computational Geometry, an international journal of mathematics and computer science.

The foundation of the story was Jacob's observation, over many years, of what a life in science is like, and how some cut corners in their attempts to succeed in it.

Jacob passed away in San Rafael, California, in October 2021.